Total pages in book: 137
Estimated words: 130081 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 650(@200wpm)___ 520(@250wpm)___ 434(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 130081 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 650(@200wpm)___ 520(@250wpm)___ 434(@300wpm)
“It will be my pleasure. Please come back and visit us anytime.” Commander Sylvania smiled. “Have a safe journey and may The Mother of All Life bless you both.”
“Thank you,” Davrik said. Putting an arm around Sonya, he looked down into her lovely face. “Come on, baby girl—let’s go home.”
SIXTY-SEVEN
SONYA
Sonya wasn’t sure what to think. She’d folded space once before with Davrik but this time it was different—instead of a horizontal red gash in space, there was a vertical green one. It seemed to glow ominously but Davrik piloted the ship into it without any apparent fear, so she forced herself to relax.
He wouldn’t take me someplace it isn’t safe, she reminded herself. He loves me—he wants to protect me.
She knew it was true—knew that Davrik loved her. But after the emotional scene following the death of the AllFather, the big Kindred had yet to lay a hand on her again. In the days and nights following the climax of their adventures, Davrik seemed to be keeping his distance. It had been almost a week now and he still hadn’t touched her—a fact that was beginning to make her wonder if he still wanted her or not.
Sonya wasn’t sure what was going on and she was too uncertain to ask him. Did he want to take things slowly after the fight between them? Had he decided she wasn’t a good substitute for the wife he’d lost after all? Didn’t he desire her anymore?
The thoughts were bubbling in her head day and night and at the same time, she couldn’t help remembering the way he’d touched her and tasted her at The House of a Thousand Flowers. She missed having his big hands on her and feeling his hot tongue between her legs. She missed being held in his arms and breathing in his warm, spicy scent.
But what could she do to bring him back?
She still hadn’t come up with an answer by the time they flew out of the fold in space and found themselves right back where they had started. Or so Sonya thought.
“Hey—that’s the Mother Ship—we didn’t go anywhere at all,” she protested, pointing to the vast, pearly white ship on the viewscreen.
“That is the Mother Ship, but it isn’t the one we just left,” Davrik told her. “This is the Mother Ship of my own universe. Let me call them for clearance to land and you’ll see.”
He made a call and was answered by a deep male voice, granting them docking privileges. They flew down into what looked like the exact same Docking Bay they had just left.
Waiting for them was a tall Kindred warrior with spiky blond hair and pale blue eyes. He smiled when he saw Davrik’s face and his smile got even wider when he saw Sonya coming out of the ship behind him. With a little shock, she realized that this must be the male version of Commander Sylvania. Davrik had told her that the Kindred of his universe were 95 percent male, but actually seeing the male counterpart of the Kindred Commander shook Sonya up a bit.
“So—it seems you’ve returned with what you were seeking,” the male Sylvania remarked, offering a forearm to Davrik, who took it and squeezed firmly.
“I did. By the grace of the Goddess, I was able to find Sonya and bring her back with me,” he said. Then he reached into an inner pocket and pulled out the black and white Rubik’s Cube thing. “Here—I am returning the Far Box. I no longer need it but I thank you for the use of it with my whole heart.”
“You’re very welcome, Davrik. I’m glad you found her—I know how important Sonya is to you,” the male Sylvania rumbled. He nodded at Sonya and smiled. “Hello—I’m Commander Sylvan, head of the High Council. You’re very welcome here aboard the Mother Ship.”
“Oh, er, thank you.” Sonya nodded and gave him a tentative smile. Seeing the male versions of the Kindred she’d gotten used to being female was going to take some time to get used to, she thought.
“Sonya is looking forward to seeing her family—they live on the peninsula of Florida,” Davrik told Commander Sylvan.
“Oh, well I’m afraid it’s nighttime in Florida and the rest of the continental US right now,” Sylvan said, frowning. “In fact it’s…” He consulted a complicated looking watch on his wrist. “It’s about two in the morning by human time.”
Davrik turned to Sonya.
“I know you want to go see your family, but I’m afraid we’d probably wake them up if we went right now.”
“That’s all right—we can wait until everyone is up. I’m tired anyway,” she said quickly. To tell the truth, she was still nervous about what she was going to say when she saw her mom—or the other Sonya’s mom—again. She couldn’t pretend to be the other Sonya—that wouldn’t be right. But would her mom still accept her, even if she wasn’t the exact daughter she had lost? And how would the rest of the family feel?